Hook It and Cook It Tonight.
Inshore charters on Tampa Bay with Captain Gavin O’Neal. Thirty years of knowing where the fish are, and how to catch them.
What people say when they get home
Unedited Google reviews from Captain Gavin’s charters.
Most charters end at the dock. This one ends at your table.
Plenty of captains will put you on fish. The part nobody handles is everything after: the cleaning, the guesswork about what to do with a sheepshead, the fillets that sit in the freezer until they’re freezer-burned. Gavin closes that loop.
Hook it
Live bait chummed before sunrise, rods for five, and a skipper who knows which flat is holding what this week. Redfish, snook, trout, sheepshead, grouper. It depends on the season and what you’re after.
Iced and bagged
Your catch comes back struck, filleted, cleaned and packed on ice before you step off the boat. No cooler full of whole fish and a long afternoon ahead of you.
Cook it right
You leave with recipes matched to the species you actually caught. Want somebody else to handle it? Ask, and Gavin will run you to a hook-to-cook spot that’ll put your fish on a plate the same evening.
“Nothing gets cooked on the boat — that’s a galley, not a charter. What you get is fish ready to cook and a plan for cooking it.”
Meet Captain Gavin
“It’s a privilege to share my love of these waters.”
Thirty years running Tampa Bay, and he still starts the day early throwing a cast net for live bait so you don’t have to fish with frozen shrimp.
Experience
Over 30 years as a skipper. That shows up as safety first, then a full cooler, then a good time, in that order.
End to end
Pickup and drop-off, all the equipment, snacks and drinks aboard, and the fish cleaned before you go home.
Hospitality
Guests in his home, which happens to be at sea. Nobody takes your money and goes through the motions.
Teaching
Knots, tides, why the bait matters. Ask questions. The ebooks and recipe guides exist because he likes answering them.
A charter, a cooler, and somewhere to be that evening
Thirty years under one hat
Licensed, insured, and out throwing a cast net for live bait before most people have had coffee. You get a captain who knows the bay, not a guide reading an app.
Meet Captain Gavin
Fourteen species worth the trip
Redfish, snook, trout, grouper, sheepshead and the rest, depending on the season and what you feel like chasing. Every one has a page on how to catch it.
See what's biting
The day doesn't end at the dock
Your catch comes back filleted and iced, with recipes for the exact fish in your bag. Ask, and Gavin will drop you somewhere that cooks it for you that night.
Get the free guideSun’s up and the fish are biting
We promise a memorable day on the water, and we brought receipts. Every one of these came off Gavin’s boat.
The free Hooking & Cooking guide
Twenty-three pages on the fourteen fish you can catch out here — season, tide, bait and tackle, then how to clean it, cook it and what to serve with it. Free to read, and it prints.
- All fourteen species, one page each — where they are and what they want
- Cleaning notes and a taste rating for every fish worth eating
- Four ways to cook a fillet, plus dishes, sides and seasonings
- Five local spots that will cook your catch for you
Captain Gavin’s treasure maps
Two hand-drawn charts of inshore Tampa Bay: where the fish are, and what to do with them.
The best fish you’ll ever eat was swimming this morning
Grouper that hasn’t seen a freezer. Snapper that went from the flats to a hot pan in under twelve hours. That’s the part of a charter people remember, and it’s the part most charters leave you to figure out alone.
You go home with fillets on ice and recipes written for the exact species in your bag: how to handle sheepshead differently from snook, which fish want high heat and which want a slow pan. If cooking isn’t the plan, say the word and Gavin will drop you at a hook-to-cook restaurant that will cook your catch for you that evening.
“Ask me on the way out and I’ll make the call. Show up with your fish, sit down, and somebody else does the dishes.”
All about Tampa Bay fish
Fourteen species you might come home with. Each one has its own page, covering how to catch it and how to cook it.
Questions people ask
Full-service inshore charters: pickup and drop-off anywhere allowed on Tampa Bay, licensure, rods readied, the catch hauled in, cleaned and filleted.
How long are charter trips?
Either 4 or 6 hours.
When do trips start?
8am or 1pm.
Where do you pick up?
North side of the bay (Tampa)
Hula Bay; Fourth Street; Dandy Blvd.
South Tampa
O’Neal’s Marina.
East side
Apollo Beach; Simmons Park; Hooks Waterfront Bar and Grill; Cockroach Bay boat route.
What are your routes?
From Simmons Park to Terricia Bay, across to Fort De Soto, then into north Tampa.
Or Hula Bay / Dandy boat ramp, up into the flats, into Courtney Campbell Causeway, and back.
What do charters include?
- Pickup and drop-off
- Rods for 5, seating for 6
- Drinks, water and snacks
- Music, when appropriate
- Cleaning and bagging your fish in ice
- Photos of every catch
- Details on how to cook what you caught
What kinds of groups book charters?
Everyone from professional anglers to couples after a quiet day on the water. Lots of families, professionals looking for an alternative to a golf outing, and visitors who want to do something they’ll actually remember.
Can you reliably catch a certain kind of fish?
No promises, but close. Knowing where a species goes, when, and what bait it wants improves the odds enormously — and those are exactly the things Gavin knows.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes to both.
Can we book online?
Yes — through the Book a Charter page, or by calling (813) 418-0225.
What does it cost?
Cost varies by season and party size, and the rates are competitive. Contact Captain Gavin for a quote.
How many years’ experience do you have?
Captain Gavin O’Neal has 30 years fishing these waters.
Is there a limit on how many fish you can catch?
For some. Sheepshead is 8 per person, snapper is 5 per person. Otherwise, no.
What kind of boat do you use?
A 2020 Key West 250 BR. Capacity for 8, seating for 6, rods for 5. More on the boat and equipment page.
Do you clean and store the fish?
Yes. Fish are struck, filleted, cleaned and packed on ice for you. Nothing is cooked aboard — the boat is not a galley.
What happens on a typical trip?
- Before. You book through the site or by phone and pick a location and time.
- Early that morning. Gavin is out chumming and catching live bait before you’re awake.
- Pickup. He meets you at the agreed spot; fishing usually starts within 20 minutes.
- On the water. Hands-on. Rods, reels, bait, knot-tying and advice as you go.
- After. Balance is settled by Square, cash, or most peer-to-peer methods.
What should we wear?
Dress for the season and expect the temperature to move. In summer a spare dry set matters less — if you get wet, you’ll dry out.
What about winter?
Winter is some of the best sheepshead fishing of the year. See winter fishing charters.
Tips and trips from the Captain’s blog
How to identify a good fishing charter
Planning a trip on Tampa Bay? Choosing the right charter makes the difference.
Read more
Captain Gavin’s surprising charter fishing facts
A charter is more than casting lines. Some things that surprise first-timers.
Read more
Preparing and cooking your Tampa Bay catch
The thrill is half of it. Here’s what to do once the fish is in the bag.
Read more
Best-tasting fish in Tampa Bay
Flavor profiles, seasonal picks and how to prepare each one.
Read more
Sun’s up. Let’s go.
Four hours or six, morning or afternoon, pickup anywhere on the bay. Call Gavin and tell him what you want to catch.
Prefer to write? captgavinoneal@gmail.com · 827 Seabreeze Dr, Ruskin, FL 33570